Evaluation of facilitative factors for preventing cognitive decline: A 3‐year cohort study of community intervention

Abstract

Subjects who had maintained a certain level of cognitive function, engaged in activities with friends, and went out frequently at baseline were extracted. In other words, the results suggested that enhancement of social networks and leisure activities prompted by recreational centre participation had a positive effect on maintaining cognitive function. The results also suggest that to improve the effectiveness of preventive interventions for cognitive dysfunction, support for social factors and leisure activities, in addition to cognitive function, may improve the long-term effectiveness of maintaining cognitive function.

The relation of close friends to cognitive performance in old age: the mediating role of leisure activities

“…This further corroborates the conceptual view that an active lifestyle in late adulthood may further contribute to cognitive reserve, thereby being related to better cognitive status in old age (Hertzog et al , 2008; Ihle et al , 2015; Opdebeeck et al , 2016). Furthermore, again coherently for all three investigated cognitive measures, our results are in line with prior empirical studies showing that having a larger number of close friends is related to better cognitive performance in old age (Barnes et al , 2004; Wang et al , 2015; Ho, 2016; Kimura et al , 2017). Present results also confirm that individuals show a greater engagement in a variety of leisure activities if they have a larger number of close friends (Flora and Segrin, 1998; Huxhold et al , 2014; Hamilton et al , 2017).…”

“…Importantly, this finding was robust to adjustment for a wide array of potentially confounding variables including age, sex, educational level, marital status, retirement status, subjective health status, and BMI. This confirms that close friends are an important resource in old age (Barnes et al, 2004;Bourdieu, 1985;Huxhold et al, 2014;Kimura et al, 2017;Wang et al, 2015). For instance, if maintaining a variety of activities or engaging in new activities in old age becomes difficult, with the help of resources and support that close friends can provide, engagement in activities could be promoted, which in turn may have positive aftereffects on cognitive functioning.…”

“…Such characteristics may also concern social aspects of older adults' life as for example the number of their close friends. This seems reasonable since prior empirical studies showed that having a larger number of close friends is related to better cognitive status and reduced cognitive decline in old age (Barnes et al, 2004;Ho, 2016;Kimura et al, 2017;Wang et al, 2015). In general, close friends can serve as or provide access to emotional resources (companionship, positive interactions, emotional support), instrumental resources (financial support, domestic support), and informational resources (exchange of knowledge and key information; Bourdieu, 1985).…”

Social interaction and cognitive decline: Results of a 7‐year community intervention

“…In an interim appraisal of 100 salon participants conducted 3 years after the start of the salon project, the participants were more likely to perform well on cognitive tests such as the three-words delayed recall test and word fluency test [38] . However, this study did not compare the cognitive function of nonparticipants or control for confounding factors.…”

Cognitive Trajectories of Older Adults With Prediabetes and Diabetes: A Population-Based Cohort Study

“…Previous studies have found that different aspects of social networks (e.g. network size, satisfaction, support) reduce the rate of cognitive decline (139,140) or risk of dementia (141)(142)(143)(144)(145), although other studies have not found such links (146,147). Furthermore, a rich social network has been associated with a decreased risk of developing diabetes, better glycemic control, and better diabetes self-management (148,149).…”